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Books You're on the Fence About - 2025
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my review
Picture Perfect - Alex Silver
Genera: M/M Romance/BDSM/ genderqueer character & 1 cute dog
3★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Death of a Pumpkin Carver – Lee Hollis – 2**
Book # 8 in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series has Hayley’s ex-husband Danny back in town and suspected of murder. This is only the second book from this series that I’ve read. This one is better than the first one, but not stellar. There are several recipes, some of which I thought sounded delicious. But I thought that using pumpkin in each and every one of them was overkill. Lee Hollis is a pen name for a brother-sister writing team. Perhaps the disconnections in the book are a reflection of having more than one author contributing to the effort.
LINK to my full review
Sunshine for Sale - Cora Rose (Kansas)
Homegrown Hearts Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance
3.5★
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Don't Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp
I was an outlier for this "thriller", which felt more like a family drama.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I’m not quite sure what to make of I am Not Sidney Poitier
. My three star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Boy in the Tree by Lisa ThompsonGreat themes, okay execution.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I usually enjoy John Marrs' thrillers but this one didn't quite work for me.
You Killed Me Firstreview: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Cloud Searchers – Kazu Kibuishi – 3***
Episode 3 in the Amulet series of graphic novels for the pre-teen crowd. The adventure continues with Emily, Navin and Leon enlisting a ship’s captain to take them in search of Cielis, the city hidden in the clouds, where they hope to find and join the Council. Whom to trust? And, can Emily channel the amulet’s power without being corrupted by it?
LINK to my full review
The Wrong Family - Tarryn Fisher - (Washington)
Genera: Mystery & Suspense
3★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I listened to
The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Last Council – Kazu Kibuishi – 3***
Book # 4 in the Amulet graphic novel series has Emily hoping to join the Guardian Council, she has to endure several challenges to prove herself worthy, and in order to succeed she needs to find a way to trust others. The key is trusting the correct source / entity, when she has both allies and enemies where she didn’t expect them.
LINK to my full review
The Storm We Made – Vanessa Chan – 3***
This work of historical fiction, tells the story of the Pacific Theater in WW2 with a different focus. Chan explores personal choice, desires, memories, anxiety, desperation and the relationships between oppressors and the oppressed. She also writes about “the ambiguity of right and wrong when survival is at stake.” Her images are stunning, at times frightening. And the tension never left this reader. Even during scenes of relative peace, one knew that danger was just around the corner.
LINK to my full review
Likely To Die – Linda Fairstein – 3***
Manhattan DA Alexandra Cooper gets a high-profile case when a leading neurosurgeon is brutally murdered in her office at a major medical center. I really like that Fairstein has given us such a strong female heroine. Alex is an independent, intelligent, strong woman who excels at her job and has a wide range of colleagues and friends who support and admire her. I particularly like her relationship with detective Mike Chapman. I was sure I had it figured out … only to be completely surprised at the reveal. Good job!
LINK to my full review
Display Me - Kota Quinn - (California)
Part of the Bear's 4-U, 9 book series
Genera: M/M Romance/Daddy Dom & Boy/Power Exchange
3.5★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This Is Going to Hurt – Adam Kay – 3***
Adam Kay wanted to be a doctor. He was drawn to the idea of helping people in distress. When he was a medical student and a “junior doctor” (residency in the USA), he kept a diary of his experiences. This memoir is based on those entries. I’ve always been interested in medicine and the work done by medical professionals. This promised humor along with information. He delivered on both those promises but I wasn’t a great fan of the diary-entry format. I thought it lacked narrative flow.
LINK to my full review
Secrets, Lies and Fireflies by Angie Fox 3-StarsVerity's ancestors need her help to reclaim the Long family legacy
My Review
Crucifixus by Belinda Tobin
The first historical fiction I've read on the topic of castrato singers. The editing could have been finetuned, but if you can focus on the plot and ignore the writing, this book can be quite impactful.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hazardous to a Duke's Heart by Sabrina Jeffries 🎧 3 1/2-StarsWhere have all the Bodice-Rippers Gone?
My Review
And here I am again, with an outlier position on a book getting lots of buzz. My three star review of Dream State
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am a huge true crime fan, watching it for years. This book was so gruesome and had many details never shown on TV. Only read if you dare. The Serial Killer Next Door: The Double Lives of Notorious Murderers by Richard Estep
My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel – K J Charles – 3***
This is the second in the Doomsday Books series of Regency romances, but I think it can easily be read as a standalone work. This was quite a fun and steamy romance. The passion between Luke Doomsday and Rufus d’Aumesty, Earl of Oxney, could easily heat the entire drafty manorial compound! Of course, there are several twists and turns in the basic plot to keep one turning pages. But let’s be serious … the best parts are the naughty ones!
LINK to my full review
Sleep Tight - J.H. Markert - (Montana)
Genera: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
3★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of Michael Without Apology by Catherine Ryan Hyde
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In the Land of Second Chances – George Shaffner – 3.5***
In Ebb, Nebraska, life is slow, and people are nice. That’s the way they like to live. Wilma Porter runs the Come Again Bed-and-Breakfast, and her newest guest, Vernon Moore, is about to change Ebb in ways no one expected. I was completely charmed by the residents of Ebb, and by the mysterious Vern Moore. This little book made me think while it entertained me. It’s a wonderful fable about hope and faith and community.
LINK to my full review
The Supreme Macaroni Company – Adriana Trigiani – 3.5***
This is the third installment in the story of the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village, New York. I really like Trigiani’s books. She features strong heroines with complex backgrounds and conflicted feelings. They almost always end happily, or at least hopefully … even though there is plenty of tragedy involved (and isn’t life, itself, like that?).
LINK to my full review
The Impossible Dead - Ian Rankin -(Scotland)
Malcom Fox Series Book #2
Genra; Mystery & Suspense/Thriller
3★
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
1. Children's Favorite Arabic Stories: Fables and Folk Tales from Across the Arabic Speaking World by Jehanne Moharram
Great idea, average execution.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2. Tangerines by Tsvi Jolles
Aimed at middle graders, but I think this might work better for young adult and adult readers.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
The Keeper of Lost Art by AA Lelita Baldockhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Last One to The Wedding - Jason Rekulak - (New Hampshire)
Genera: Mystery/Thriller
4.5★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
A well-researched book, but not the right fit for me. I can see why it is so popular though.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
The Last One to The Wedding - Jason Rekulak - (New Hampshire)
Genera: Mystery/Thriller
4.5★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
Carol, do you have this posted in the right topic?
Jonetta wrote: "Carol wrote: "The Last One to The Wedding - Jason Rekulak - (New Hampshire)
Genera: Mystery/Thriller
4.5★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/..."
I debated a long time before I posted it. I really WAS on the fence about it. It wasn't a bad story...but the characters actually brought the book down to the "on the fence" category. I had trouble finding anything about them to say I really liked. I figured that "on the fence" what let others that read it know that it has it's good points but also some that put it "on that fence."
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